The Tory worldview holds that private schools care about high standards while teachers in the state sector want all to have prizes whether they have earned them or not.
A point picked up in a Lib Dem Voice article by my fellow graduate of the Philosophy department at York, Mary Reid, proves that this is the opposite of the truth:
As it happens, Universities were aware that grades would be returning to “normal” this year so adjusted their offers accordingly, which should mean that the transition to Higher Education will be smooth for most students.
In fact, 79% of students who applied to University this year achieved the grades to get into their first choice, compared with 74% in 2019 – so that left more students happy with their results than pre-pandemic.
Whilst that is the overall picture, there is one striking anomaly. The Guardian article mentioned above includes this statement: “Independent and grammar schools had the largest drop in top grades compared with last year”.
Put another way, the students who benefited most from the temporary assessment processes used during the pandemic were those in selective and fee paying schools – the very pupils who are already advantaged by our skewed education system.
Private schools trade on their exam results - they're no longer instilling character in boys so they can go out and run a non-existent empire - so don't be surprised if a few ethical corners are cut.
If this happens in less blatant ways in more normal times, perhaps extra help with coursework, it may be one reason why, at university, state school students outperform those from private school with the same A-level grades.
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